But times have changed and so has our ability to maintain our communities.

Today, we buy fuel to heat our homes during our harsh winters, we own equipment that allows us to subsist in the vast lands, we purchase food in addition to the fish and wildlife we catch, and someday hope to send our children to college to become successful.

Couple this with one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, as well as the highest cost of living, and you will understand why we are struggling to keep our schools open and populations from depleting.

As a fisherman, I depend on fish for my livelihood, but I also understand that commercial fishing no longer sustains us and is not the only answer to our challenges.